PRO3 ENDS 2-DECADE MANHUNT, ARRESTS MOST WANTED FELON

BY KEVIN GALANG

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) has ended a more than two-decade manhunt with the arrest of a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-listed national most wanted person in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna, on August 28.

The 46-year-old suspect, who had been wanted in connection with a 2003 murder case, was arrested by the Regional Special Operations Group-Regional Intelligence Division 3 (RSOG-RID3), in coordination with the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit 3 (RDEU3), Directorate for Intelligence (DI), Regional Intelligence Unit 3 (RIU3), RID PRO9, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Regional Field Unit 3 (CIDG RFU3), RID 4A, and theSta. Rosa City Police Station.

Police served a warrant of arrest for murder issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 17 in Zamboanga City. 

The warrant was issued in January 2004, but the accused managed to evade arrest and remain at-large for more than 20 years.

His prolonged evasion eventually led to his inclusion on the DILG’s list of National Most Wanted Persons.

Authorities, however, continued efforts to locate him through sustained intelligence operations, records validation and coordination among police units and government agencies.

PRO3 director Brig. Gen. Jess B. Mendez said the arrest shows that the passage of time will not deter law enforcement from pursuing individuals wanted by the courts.

“Time does not erase accountability. We will continue to pursue wanted persons, no matter how long they have been hiding. Every warrant we serve helps move a case forward, gives victims and their families another opportunity to pursue justice, and removes from our communities individuals who have long evaded the law,” Mendez said.

The PRO3 chief stressed that manhunt operations are not merely aimed at increasing the number of arrests but are intended to promote public safety, strengthen confidence in law enforcement and ensure that individuals facing criminal charges are brought before the proper courts.

The suspect was taken to the RSOG3 Custodial Facility at Camp Olivas for documentation and processing before being presented to the concerned court.

The arrest adds to PRO3’s continuing intensified campaign against wanted persons across Central Luzon and beyond, with police units maintaining intelligence-driven operations to locate individuals with outstanding warrants regardless of how long they have evaded arrest.